Cars 2: Voice of Truth
by NikChik-11
Summary: Lightning Mcqueen can Sing! Plus he and his brother, Braden, find out a little about their past. Lightning also wants to propose to Sally, but just can't figure out how, Doc reunites with his true love, and Mater loses someone. Please Review!
1. Chapter 1: Remember?

**Cars 2**

Chapter 1

_The sunset is so beautiful. Pink and Gold, Pink and Gold. Topped off with a shade of red against the blue sky. Red and blue. Like Lightning. That red paint job, so warm and comfortable, and those eyes. So clear, pure, blue. Crystal clear blue. I feel as if I'm lost at sea. How did I end up so lucky? Lightning is definitely the one. He's just so, so, so…_

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Lightning McQueen asked, laughing.

"Hmmm? Oh! I was just thinking about something." Sally replied, embarrassed that he saw her staring at him.

They sat there for a while, enjoying each other's presence.

"Hey Stickers?" Sally asked after awhile.

"Yea?"

"You remember what next week is?"

He thought for a moment, then replied, "Oh yea! It's Karaoke Week, isn't it?" Lightning remembered now that next week was one of Radiator Springs most important traditional events.

"Yea, and I was planning on singing, and well, I'm a little nervous." she admitted.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. You have a great voice." he told her, smiling encouragingly.

"Well, I'm still kind of nervous."

"If there's anything I can do just let me know." Lightning offered.

"Well, there is one thing."

"What?"

"Well, I was thinking that maybe you could sing one night during Karaoke Week too." she replied.

"Me? Singing? I don't know…"

"Come on, Stickers! Please? For me?" Sally pleaded.

"Well, ok, but I'm not that very good." he said, nuzzling against her affectionately.


	2. Chapter 2: You're gonna WHAT?

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 2**

"You're gonna SING?" Mater asked, a little surprised.

"Yea."

"But I ain't never seen you sing bafore'. You always just sit there, watchin' peoples."

"Yea, I really don't want to, but I'm doing it for Sally." Lightning replied, sort of quietly.

"Aww, that's a nice thing ta do."

"Thanks Mater. I'm not even really that good at singing! Plus I got to figure out what night I'm going to sing."

"Hows about Tuesday? Nobody sings on Tuesday." Mater offered.

"Ok. I guess." Lightning replied.

* * *

Sally was beautiful, it was Monday, and Sally was supposed to sing. She wasn't lying either. She looked as nervous as she said she felt. Then the music started. She looked around the crowd, then spotted who she was looking for…Lightning. He winked, and smiled encouragingly. She smiled back, and started to sing. She sang like an angel. (By the way, she sang "Find Yourself in You" by Everlife.) She got through singing and came up beside Lightning.

"Hey, you sang great," he said encouragingly "as always." He added with a smile.

"Thanks, I can't wait to hear you sing tomorrow." She replied breathlessly.

"Neither can I." he muttered to himself.


	3. Chapter 3: Memories

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 3**

He couldn't see. Blinding lights everywhere. Then he saw Sally drive into the café. She smiled at him, he smiled back.

"Ok, now remember what I said. He told me he couldn't sing that very well, so pretend he's really _good._" She said, putting an emphases on _good. _

As the music started, Sally closed her eyes and prayed Lightning wouldn't make a fool of himself, but Lightning did exactly the opposite. He sang _great._ (He sang an acoustic version of "Dirty Little Secret" by The All American Rejects.)

In the middle of the song, though, his voice started to crack and he looked on the verge of tears. He looked around the room, and closed his eyes. Sally wondered what was wrong, he looked so confident when he had started singing.

* * *

Lightning couldn't take it anymore. He had tried singing again for Sally, but instead it had just brought back memories he had tried to forget. 

"I'm sorry, I c-can't, I just can't." he said, racing off the stage, and out the door.

Sally found Lightning outside at Willy's Butte, behind a rock formation.

"Stickers?" she asked, startling Lightning.

"Are you ok? Do you want to talk about it?" she asked comfortingly.

_I'm not going to cry, racecars don't cry. _Lightning thought to himself.

"I should have never asked you to sing. I didn't know you got stage fright THIS bad."

_Don't cry._

"I didn't have stage fright." Lightning said, looking down at his tires.

"Well, then why did you run out like that? I mean, you were doing so good."

_Don't cry._

"Singing made me think about my brother." He replied, still fighting back tears.

"Your brother?" Sally asked, a little surprised. Lightning had never talked about his family before.

"I guess I should start from the beginning." Lightning said, sighing.

_Don't cry._

"You see, I had two brothers, Braden, and Chad. Chad's older than me, and Braden's younger. Our mother was a singer, and we knew nothing about our father. My brothers and I had a band, and my brother, Chad, was really good at singing. He wanted to sing for his whole life. Me and Braden really didn't care about our careers."

Lightning paused, taking a breath.

"What happened to Chad?" Sally asked, feeling a little sorry for her boyfriend.

_Do not cry._

"He got shot during one of our garage performances." Lightning replied, still fighting the tears.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Sally said, now feeling really sorry for her boyfriend.

_DO NOT CRY._

They sat in silence for a few moments, then Sally replied, "It's ok if you want to cry." She said, as Lightning closed his eyes.

She slowly inched toward Lightning. "Just let it all out." She whispered as she nuzzled closer to him.

"I r-really miss him." Lightning whispered as the tears won and silently trickled down his hood.

* * *

**Hey guys, I hope you're enjoying my story so far. Sorry the chapters are so short, I'm having a little writer's block. Look back tomorrow for Chapter 4!**


	4. Chapter 4: Stupid Mater

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 4**

_Come on._

No.

_Just ask her._

I can't!

_You really want to._

I know.

_Then ask her!_

Lightning was having a silent argument with himself. He was deciding when he should ask Sally the "question".

"Hey Stickers." Said Sally, shaking Lightning away from his thoughts.

"Hey"

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked, cuddling against his side.

"I was just thinking." He replied, biting his lip and pulling away.

"Thinking? Since when do you think?" she joked, nudging him playfully with her tire.

"Hey I can think of some cool stuff when I put my mind to it." He joked back.

They sat there in silence, Sally still cuddled up against Lightning.

"Hey Sally?" he asked suddenly.

"Yea Stickers?"

"I love you."

"Awww, Stickers. I love you, too." She answered, moving a little closer.

Lightning moved a little closer, too. Their lips were inches apart now. Just as their lips were about to touch, MQUEEN AND SALLY PARKED BENEATH A TREE, K-I-S-S, uh, I-N-T!!!

"MATER!" Lightning yelled, jumping forward a few inches.

"Sorry, buddy," Mater said, still laughing "I done just came over ta tell ya, yous got a tellyphone call."

"Thanks Mater. I guess I better go see who it is." Lightning said, sighing. He was a little disappointed he didn't get to ask Sally the "question". He didn't even get to kiss her. _Stupid Mater! Why does he always have to do that?_ He asked himself silently as he made his way to his trailer.

"Hey kid, just calling to remind you that the Piston Cup entry race is in 3 weeks."

Harv told him.

"3 weeks?! Wow, I've got to start practicing a little more."

"Hey Sally." Lightning said as he drove through the door of the Cozy Cone Motel.

"Hey, can you deliver these letters?" she asked.

"This one goes to room 12, this one to room 4, and this one is for Mater."

"Ok, room 12, room 4, and Mater." He recited to himself.

As Sally left to take care of some business at Wheel Well, Doc came into The Cozy Cone.

"Hey kid. You need to get some more practice in before dark."

"Come on, Doc. I'm really exhausted." Lightning said, sighing.

"No. You need practice." Doc said sternly.

"Ok, I'm coming, I'm coming." Lightning said, giving up and throwing down the letters.

* * *

**Ok, ya'll have to pay close attention to the mail part. It's really important! Again, sorry for such short chapters. I'm fixin' to leave so I wanted to hurry up and finish chapter 4.**


	5. Chapter 5: Finish with a BANG

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 5**

It was the day of the race, and Lightning was really excited because Sally had decided to come with them this time.

"I can't believe you decided to come!" He said happily.

"Yea, I figured I should be able to come to at least one of your races. You know I've been so busy." She said, nuzzling him gently.

"Yea, you have been really busy." He said as they arrived at the track.

* * *

It was time for the race. Lightning looked up and saw Sally sitting with his pit crew. She smiled, and he smiled back. With the wave of a green flag, and the roar of an engine, he was off.

All he could hear was the roar of engines, and the crowd cheering him on. He looked beside him and saw Chick. Chick looked as determined as ever. Lightning passed him easily.

"I'm not losing to you!" Chick shouted angrily.

"Just watch!" I shouted back.

It was the last lap and Lightning was about 20 yards from the finish line. "Checkered flag, here I come!" Lightning said happily. Things went from good to bad in about 20 seconds.

There was a loud BANG! Lightning felt his tire blow, and then felt himself starting to lose control. He started to spin out. He slammed on his brakes and landed in the grass. There was another loud BANG and this time Lightning felt something strike his side, near his bumper.

"Lightning! Get out of the open! Take cover NOW!!!" Doc shouted over in his two-way speaker.

Lightning raced and took cover behind a wall. His side hurt badly. He felt like he was going to pass out at any moment. It was happening again.

_I'm not going to end up like Chad._ Lightning thought to himself as tears of fright poured out of his eyes.

* * *

**Hey guys. Sorry for such a short chapter. I'll try to get chapter 6 in by tonight.**


	6. Chapter 6: Is Glen here?

**Cars 2 **

**Chapter 6**

"We need medical attention!!!" Lightning could hear Doc shouting. Everything was fuzzy. It's like he was drifting in and out of consciousness. As the paramedics were guiding him into an ambulance, he felt the darkness surrounding him.

"Does Lightning have any relatives?" Doc asked Mack.

"I don't know. I'll check and see if they can come to be with him." Mack answered.

"Doc!" Sally said, her eyes filled with tears. "Is he ok? What happened?"

"Some wise-guy had a gun." Doc replied with a grim face.

"He got shot?" Sally asked, shocked.

"Barely, they missed where they aiming."

After they got back to Radiator Springs, Lightning was put into Doc's care.

"Ok, Lightning's still unconscious, so when he wakes up don't ask him to many questions or anything." Doc warned, just as Mack pulled up.

"Hey Doc!" He yelled.

"Yea?"

"I found some of Lightning's family, and boy was it hard too. He never talks about them much." Mack told him, just as a Ford Mustang coupe and another red sports car came out of the back.

"Is Glen here?" The worried looking Mustang asked.

"Glen? Who's Glen?" Doc asked, confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was talking about Lightning. Glen is his real name." The mustang told him.

"Yes, he's here. Who are you?"

"I'm his mother, Linda, and this is my other son, Braden." Said Linda.

"Wait a minute. Linda McQueen? As in Linda McQueen, the famous singer?" Doc asked

"Yes, but I retired 3 years ago. Can I see my son now?"

"Ok, I guess you're telling the truth, since you guys all look alike." Doc replied.

"Where is he?" The other red car asked quietly.

"He's in the clinic, but he's still unconscious." Doc told the two red cars, his voice cracking slightly.

'Thank you so much for helping my son." Linda said, a tear silently rolling down her hood.

* * *

Lightning woke up to two red cars looking down at him.

"Mom? Braden? What are you--ow" he tryed to ask, it hurt to talk.

"It's alright, Glen." His mother told him.

Mater was trying to fight back his giggles.

"Your name is GLEN?" he asked.

Lightning slowly nodded, wincing.

"Doc, could we have some pain killers?" Braden asked.

"It'll be alright." His mother repeated as the darkness closed in on him again.

* * *

**Hey sorry i just added that last part, but i never really introduced the family reunion.**


	7. Chapter 7: May all your Dreams

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 7**

_It felt great. The bright lights, the deafening music, the cheering crowd. He loved singing. He could see his brothers. Chad was awesome. With that great voice and those deep, blue eyes. He pretty much melted the girl's hearts to putty. Braden was great too. His voice blending perfectly with the others. _

_Then he heard it. BANG! He hated that sound so much. The sound that signaled the end of his brother's life as he knew it. He turned around, to see nothing but a puddle of sickening oil._

_Then he was falling. He fell with a thud' in what he saw as a deep hole in the ground. He looked down in horror to see a grimy, cold figure he once knew as his brother. Dirt started to fall on him. _

"_NOOOO!!!" he screamed. He heard someone calling his name. "Glen, Glen, Glen". He looked down to see the cold, cracked mouth of his brother calling out to him._

"_Glen, Glen, Glen."_

He woke with a snap to find his mother's worried face. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

He looked around with tearful eyes and saw his brother quietly flipping through a magazine.

"Yea, I-I'm alright." He choked out.

"Are you sure? You're shaking like a leaf."

"Yea, just a bad dream." He replied, a fear tears rolling down his hood.

"It's ok. It was just a dream." She said comfortingly.

She went over to him and pressed her side against him in a sincere way. Then she started singing a slow, sweet lullaby.

_May all your dreams bloom like daisies in the sun  
May you always have stars in your eyes  
May you not stop running on until your race is won  
May you always have blue skies _

A dream is something all your own to keep within your heart  
To build on when you're glad or when your world's been torn apart  
A dream is something all your own that no one else can steal  
A dream is something you can make come real

May all your dreams bloom like daisies in the sun  
May you always have stars in your eyes  
May you not stop running on until your race is won  
May you always have blue skies

Lightning didn't know how, and he didn't know why, but he loved that song. His mother's soothing voice was some what relaxing. He slowly fell into a relaxed slumber.

"At least someone knows a way to make him be quiet." Doc said, chuckling, making the other car jump.

"Doc! You startled me!" She breathed.

"Where did you learn that song?" Doc asked curiously.

"My mother use to sing it to me." She replied.

"It sure has a big effect." Doc said, glancing over at Lightning.

"Yea, it used to make all of my sons fall asleep."

"All of your sons? You mean you have more than two?"

"Yes, I actually had three, but one of them isn't with us anymore." She replied sadly.

"What happened to the other one?"

"Well, the three of them had a garage band, and he got shot." She said sighing "I think Lightning took it the hardest."

"Oh, I guess that why he ran out like that during karaoke night." Doc said quietly.

"Come again?" Linda asked, confused.

"Sally convinced him to sing one night and he sort of just ran out. Sally told me he broke down crying, but she wouldn't say why." Doc replied.

They sat in the silence for a few moments, watching Lightning sleep.

"I wonder how come he never told us." Doc said all of a sudden.

"He usually just keeps everything bottled up. The only person he would ever talk to was his psychiatrist."

_Lightning had a psychiatrist? I guess that explains a lot._ Doc thought to himself.

"If he was so good at singing, why did he become a racecar?" Doc wondered out loud.

"I guess because he was so good at track in school." She replied quietly. "Or maybe, he just wanted to get away."

* * *

**Hey sorry that took so long!**


	8. Chapter 8: Regrets

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 8**

"Whoa! Careful back there, Mater." Lightning said as his best friend slipped his tow cable under his bumper.

It had been three weeks since the shooting incident, and Lightning was thoroughly sore. Although, he had enjoyed being able to have time to catch up a bit with his brother.

Mater sat Lightning down in front of Flo's and drove up beside him. "So, is you feelin' better?" Mater asked.

"Yea, I feel fine." Lightning answered, just as Sally and Braden pulled up.

"Where have you two been?" Lightning asked Sally.

"Oh, I was just showing him around town. Are you feeling better?" She replied.

"Yea, I feel fine."

"Hey Glen, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, but hey, call me Lightning."

"Ok, sorry. It's just that I've been calling you Glen since I could talk, but I can call you Lightning if you want." Glen replied.

They went over to a secluded spot to talk. "So, how's life been?" Braden asked.

"It's been great. I got friends, a roof over my head, a great career, an awesome girlfriend…" Lightning replied.

"At least someone's life is good." Braden said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Lightning asked, confused.

"Life's kind of been rough since you left. Mom's been depressed, my boss is wanting to fire me, and the bank is threatening to take away the house."

Lightning remained silent after awhile, then replied, "Look, I'm sorry. I just, I just…I don't know." Lightning was at a lost for words.

"I just have one question," Braden said after awhile. "Why did you leave?"

"I don't know. I just couldn't stand to live in the same place that Cha.. Cha…" Lightning couldn't even get out his name.

"That Chad died?" Braden finished for him.

Lightning slowly shook his head. "Look buddy, it's ok. I guess it was just his time to go."

"Yea, I know. I just wish he was still here. Maybe then we wouldn't be coming together just because I got hurt."

They were quiet for a little while, just quietly thinking to themselves.

"So who's this awesome girlfriend of yours?" Braden said all of a sudden.

"Well, you see that hot Porsche over there?" he said as his brother nodded.

"_That's_ your _girlfriend_?! Dude…" Braden said as they went back toward Flo's, laughing.

* * *

**Hey guys!!! Please review!!! I'll try to get chapter 9 in soon!!!!!**


	9. Chapter 9: Confused

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 9**

_Wow, Sally is so beautiful. How did I end up so lucky? Oh, yea. I ran away from home, became a racecar, let it all go to my head, and ended up here accidentally. Don't think about that now, think about how you're going to ask Sally to marry you. Wow, she's beautiful._

Lightning was running all these thoughts through his mind, when Mack pulled up in front of him.

"Hey kid. You got a phone call from Harv." He said, shaking Lightning from his thoughts.

"Thanks, Mack." Lightning said, heading toward the trailer.

"Hey, kid. Just calling to check up on you…and you got a race in Daytona in two weeks." Harv said as Lightning answered the phone.

"What?! In two weeks? You're kidding me!" Lightning said loudly.

"Sorry kid, but I got good news too."

"What?" Lightning asked curiously.

"Well, I bought you an extra trailer. Super-sized actually, that way you can bring along some friends, but no more than five extra cars."

"Really? Harv, you're the best!" Lightning said as he rushed off to tell the others.

The rest of the gang was still at Flo's. They were a little surprised at how fast he was going.

"Hey! Take it easy, kid. I don't want you pulling something." Doc warned him.

"Sorry, I just wanted to tell you something important." Lightning replied anxiously.

"Well, what is it?" Sarge asked.

Lightning told them the good news, then turned to Sally.

"Will you come to my race? I know you probably don't want to, after what happened last time, but I really want you to be there." He told her.

"Sure Stickers." She said, even though she had an unsure look on her face.

Lightning's face immediately lit up. He looked at her for a few moments with a look of pure gratitude, when Doc suddenly said, "Well, what are we still doing here? We need to get a few runs in before we leave."

* * *

They were on their way back from Willy's Butte, and Doc could tell there was something on the young racecar's mind. He hadn't said a thing since they had left.

"Hey, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Doc said as Lightning slowly looked up him.

"Uh, yea. I know." Lightning said, still looking at his tires.

Doc decided not to push the subject any farther, so he just remained silent. He figured Lightning would tell him when he was ready to.

They drove on in silence for a little while, when Lightning said, "It was all my fault."

"What?" Doc asked, surprised.

"It was all my fault. My brother helped me all those years, and I couldn't even help him that one time." Lightning said, kicking at a nearby rock.

"Lightning, look at me." He told the upset racecar. "It wasn't your fault. It was no one's fault. You couldn't help him, no one could."

Lightning went up to Doc and pushed his side up against his, in a sort of hug.

"I'm so confused." Lightning said in a choked whisper.

* * *

It was 4' in the morning, and it was time to go. Everybody was so tired, they couldn't even sit up straight. Lightning had decided to let his mother, Braden, Sally, Mater, and Doc ride in his trailer with him.

"Wow, Harv really went all out." Lightning said, looking around.

"Yea, this is nice." Sally said.

There was three rooms in the trailer. Lightning and Sally took one, Mater and Braden took another, and Doc and Linda took the last one. After awhile, Lightning and Sally decided to watch a movie.

"So, are you feeling a lot better?" Sally asked after awhile.

"Yea, it doesn't even hurt anymore." Lightning replied.

"I was talking about, well you know…" she said, trailing off.

"Oh…" Lightning replied looking down. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" She asked, her eyes burning into his.

"I'm sure."

After that last statement, they fell silent. Sally nuzzled a little closer to Lightning, then said, "So, are you sure putting your mom and Doc in the same room was a good idea?"

"Well, I don't hear any screaming. So I guess everything's ok." He said, laughing.

* * *

**Hey! Thanx 4 the reviews! Do you guys like the new name? It kind of just popped into my head yesterday. Ya'll are going to love what happens in the next few chapters. Prepare for an unexpected twist.**


	10. Chapter 10: Doc in love

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 10**

_Where the heck is he? It's been over an hour!_ Doc thought quietly to himself. It had been 4' hours since they left, and they were at a service station right now. Doc thought Lightning might need to stretch his tires. He had respected Lightning's privacy, and just knocked on the door and told him to meet him outside, but he hadn't came out yet. Doc was just about fed up with waiting. He drove impatiently into the trailer and opened Lightning's door. He found Lightning and Sally napping beside each other, smiling in their sleep. He also found Linda, just silently staring at the couple.

"Staring at anything in particular?" Doc asked, pulling up beside her.

She was silent for a moment, and Doc was starting to think she hadn't even heard him.

"Aren't they just the cutest?" She said, all of a sudden.

"Uh, yea I guess so." Doc said uncomfortably.

Doc felt kind of strange. It wasn't like any injury he'd ever got racing. He'd only felt this way once before, during high school. He'd had the biggest crush on this girl, only to have his best friend crush his dreams, and go out with her instead. He couldn't exactly remember her name though…

"Here, let me get Mater to wake them up." Doc offered as they drove outside.

They found Mater outside talking to Mack.

"Hey Mater! I need to ask you for a favor."

"Sure, Doc, wut is it?" Mater asked curiously.

Doc went over to him and whispered something, then Mater went into the trailer.

At first, it was really quiet, then we heard a loud _BOO_, and two screams of _MATER!_

"That was cruel, you know?" Linda said, laughing, just as Mater and a very sleepy- looking Lightning came out of the trailer.

"Boy, Doc! Yous was right! That was funny." Mater said, laughing.

"Sorry, Doc. Me and Sally sort of nodded off." Lightning said apologetically.

"I just thought you might want to stretch your tires. We're probably going to be on the road for another 5 hours for the least." Doc told him.

"Thanks." Lightning said, yawning.

After everyone had filled up on gas and oil, they all loaded back up into the trailer. As they were driving up the ramp, Linda inched closer to Doc. She was so close, close enough that he could smell her perfume. It actually smelt pretty good. Something about it was so…familiar. She was so close that her side was brushing against his. Doc could feel his face growing hot. Linda smiled at him, and he shifted uncomfortably. Little did Doc know, Braden noticed.

Braden raised his eyebrow to Lightning, and Lightning just shrugged. Lightning and Sally went back to their room, and Braden followed. As soon as they shut the door, the two boys busted out laughing.

"What?" Sally asked, confused.

"Did you see the look on his face?" Lightning asked through gasps.

"I can't believe mom has the hots for your crew chief!!" Braden said, still laughing.

"I know!" Lightning replied.

"Do you really think they like each other?" Braden asked with a sudden serious face.

"I don't know, maybe so…" Lightning replied.

* * *

**Hey, sorry it took so long, there's this thing called "school" that sort of gets in the way... Please Review!!!!**


	11. Chapter 11: Amelia

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 11**

"So where exactly are we?" Lightning asked Mack through the intercom.

"We're heading for Texas." Came Mack's reply.

"Don't worry, we'll make it to the race." Sally said, comfortingly.

"Chrysler, I hope so." Lightning said, just as Mater came bursting through the door.

"Ever heard of knocking, buddy?" Lightning asked sarcastically.

"Hey, I was just wonderin' if we could stop by my ol' house." Mater asked his best friend.

"Um, sure Mater." Lightning perked up. Mater never talked about his family.

"Where is your house?"

"It's in West Palm Beach." (Where Larry The Cable Guy moved when he was 16.)

"Florida?" Lightning asked as Mater nodded vigorously.

"Ok." He said, he really wanted to meet Mater's parents.

As Sally cuddled against him, he remembered he still hadn't asked her the "question". All of a sudden he kinda got nervous, he didn't even know why. He had been around Sally thousands of times, this time just seemed different.

"Hey, do you want to go see what Braden is up to?" He asked all of a sudden.

"Sure." She replied as they drove out of their room.

They found Braden outside Doc and Linda's room, apparently eavesdropping. It looked as though he hadn't noticed that they had drove up behind him.

"Watcha doin?" Lightning asked, making the younger car jump.

"Shhh! You gotta see this!" He said, peeking in the crack of the doorway.

"What is it?" Sally asked curiously.

They weren't prepared for what they saw next. Doc and my mom, my mom and Doc. Wow. What they saw, in fact, was Doc and Linda,

_KISSING!

* * *

_

Wow, she was beautiful. He knew that face from somewhere, but _where?_ He just couldn't remember, but boy, was he was fixing to find out.

"Where did you say you were from?" He asked.

"Would you believe, California?" She answered.

"Really? I'm from California too."

"Really?" She said.

She sat there with a thoughtful expression on her face then asked, "Where did you go to high school?"

He gulped, then replied, "Jefferson High, why?"

"Really? I went to Jefferson High too."

"Hmm, do you think we knew each other?" He asked.

"I dunno." Was her answer.

"Wait a minute… are you related to Amelia McQueen?" He asked.

"Related? I AM Amelia McQueen!" She told him, laughing.

"Wait, you told me your name was Linda." He said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I changed it. I mean, who wants to go through life being called Amelia?"

"Linda it's me, Mike." Doc said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

"No way. Jerry's friend?"

"You know, I had always sort of liked you." He said, looking down at his tires.

"Really? Jerry told me you weren't that interested, and I sort of…was."

"He said that?! That jerk." He muttered. "Wait you did?" he asked, looking up.

She slowly nodded her head, then they fell silent.

"You know, I always used to imagine me and you together. I always dreamt about…kissing you." He said uncomfortably.

She smiled slyly, then replied, "Well, you might just get your wish."

* * *

**Hey, just to let ya'll know on the Larry The Cable Guy thing, I wanted to use his hometown, but it was in Nebraska, and Nebraska wasn't really on their route to Daytona. So, I used the place where he moved, which is closer. Just letting ya'll know. Oh, and could ya'll take another look at chapter 6? I added somethin'. Can you believe Doc and Lightning's mom are seeing each other? lol this is gettin' good...**


	12. Chapter 12: Driving School Dropouts

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 12**

"Hey kid?" Mack asked, getting only light snores as replies.

"Kid?" he asked again.

"KID!" He yelled, waking him up this time.

"Y-Yea…?" he asked groggily.

"We're in Mississippi."

"That it?" he asked, yawning.

"Yep. Just wanted you to know."

"Ok, are you sure that's it? I mean, you just woke me up at 2 in the morning…"

"Ahh, it's nothing. Just kind of gets lonely when you're the only one awake."

"Do you want me to stay up with you?"

"Naw, go back to sleep."

"Well, alright."

Lightning tried going back to sleep, but he was wide-awake now. He couldn't stop thinking about what he had heard Doc and his mom talking about earlier.

"_Are you related to Amelia McQueen?"_

"_Related? I am Amelia McQueen!"_

How was that possible? He knew that his mom used to live in California, but what about his father? Who was his father? And why did he have his mother's last name, instead of his father's? And who the heck was Jerry? He didn't know. He was confused. Slowly, he fell into a very fitful sleep.

Lightning awoke to find himself alone in his room. Wondering where everybody was, he slowly made his way out side the unmoving trailer. He found a very familiar garage just beyond where Mack had parked. He reluctantly made his way over to it.

"Mom? Hellooo?" He called as he slowly drove inside.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" His mother called from the kitchen.

"Uh, yea. Fine. How come nobody woke me up?"

"Well, you looked so peaceful. I decided not to disturb you." His mother replied.

Lightning drove into the living room to find Doc, Mack, and Mater laughing about some joke Mater just told.

"Hey, buddy! I was wonderin' when yous was gonna wake up!" Mater exclaimed as Lightning entered the room.

"Why didn't yous tell me you used ta live in Mizzizzippi?"

"I don't know. It never came up. What are we doing here, anyways?" Lightning asked.

"Your ma said we could take a pit stop at her house." Mack answered.

"Wait a minute… Where's Sally?" Lightning asked suddenly realizing someone was missing.

"Braden wanted to show her something." Doc replied.

"Ok, thanks." Lightning said, making his way to his old room.

He found Braden and Sally watching something on the TV.

"Anything good on?" He asked, startling the two cars.

"You never told me you guys were THIS good." Sally said, staring at the television with awe.

They were watching some music videos that Lightning, Braden, and Chad had made of themselves years ago. In the video, they were singing one of their best songs, "Drive Away" (All American Rejects).

"You look so different without stickers." Sally said all of a sudden. "You're all so…wow." She said, still staring at the TV.

The only similarities in the brothers, was that they had red paint and blue eyes. Lightning had the charming smile, and the wonderful way of presenting himself, like the way he did at races. Braden was a bit more shy, but still very handsome, with his cute little half-smile, but Chad... Chad was the hottest of them all. He had that wonderful smile, that way of making girls melt in his tires. He was a little aggressive-looking, though.

"What were you guys called, anyways?" Sally asked them.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Lightning replied, laughing. He caught Braden's eye and started laughing again.

"We were called the Driving School Drop-outs." Braden explained, also laughing.

"Yea. It was Chad's idea." Lightning said, still chuckling.

They continued watching the videos, when Sally suddenly said, "I'm going to go see if your mother needs any help with lunch." And with that she left the room.

Sally drove into the kitchen, and almost ran slap into Linda.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Linda!" She exclaimed.

"That was a close one, wasn't it?" Linda said, laughing.

"I just came in to see if you needed any help." Sally told her.

"Oh, sure. Here, take some oil to the boys and take one for yourself."

"Ok." Sally replied, making her way back to the bedroom.

Sally came in the room and sat down the oil in front of the guys.

"Hey, I though you guys might be thirsty, so I…" She stopped talking as soon as she saw Lightning and Braden.

The two cars were silently crying, side by side. Tears pouring down their hoods.

"Wha…"

"This was Chad's favorite song!" Braden said, choking up.

The song playing was "The Last Song" (All American Rejects, again. Lol, I'm obsessed.)

"I-It's the last song we ever played together."

"It's like he knew he was going to…to…" Lightning started crying even harder.

"Please, you guys. Don't cry, you're going to make me cry." She said, tears welling up in her own eyes.

* * *

**Hey, just to let you guys know, the ages of the three brothers are Braden, 20, Lightning, 22, and Chad would have been 25.Oh, and I just want to clear something up here. Linda was married, but she got a divorce. (I'm not saying to who either. It's a surprise. Mwahahaha!) Chad was the only one who knew their dad, but he was abused. (whoops, I wasn't supposed to tell you that.) Chad didn't want to have his father's name, so Linda didn't give it to the other ones either. Understand The Muffinator 3? Did I spell that right? If any of ya'll followed that, give me a review, and for those of you who didn't, give me a review anyways.**


	13. Chapter 13: Love and uncomfortable talks

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 13**

As they all loaded back up in the trailer, Sally glanced over at Lightning. Their eyes connected for a moment, but he continued talking to Mater about something. She looked around and saw Mater and Lightning talking, Lightning looked worried about something. She saw Doc and Linda talking, with dreamy expressions on their faces. Then she saw Braden, all alone. He looked really sad. He was just staring out the window.

"Hey." She said to him.

"Hey." He said, sighing.

"What the matter?" She asked.

"What's my purpose in life?" He asked, turning to face her.

"Whoa, that's sort of a big question…" She said, a little surprised.

"Well, Chad was good at singing, and Lightning is good at racing. What am I good at? I don't know, but, well, I'm a little confused." He confessed.

Sally was about to reply, when a voice from behind them startled them both.

"You're not the only one." Lightning said, coming up behind them.

"Eavesdrop much?" Sally asked sarcastically.

"No, it's ok." Braden said. "What are you confused about? I mean, you got the girl, a nice home, and a great career. And what do I have?"

"Well, you have a family, and a brother who would be glad to lend you some money, and was going to offer you to stay with us in Radiator Springs." Lightning said quietly.

"Really?" Braden asked, surprised.

"Well, yea. I've really missed you guys." Lightning said, looking his brother in the eyes.

His brother just gave him his famous half-smile.

"I'll take that as a yes." Lightning said, laughing.

They were silent for awhile, when Braden asked all of a sudden, "Why are you confused?"

"Well, I was just thinking about what we heard Doc and mom talking about the other day." Lightning said, glancing over at Doc's door, and lowering his voice.

"I, mean. I've been wondering all my life who our dad is, and it's just been bugging me here lately." Lightning said, biting his tongue.

"Yea, me too."

The two brothers didn't talk for awhile. Sally was just about to leave, when Lightning said "Hey, let's go watch a movie or something."

Sally sighed and replied, "Ok.", as they made their way to their room.

* * *

"I love you, ya know that?" Lightning said, after awhile of The Wedding Crashers' (Lol, Owen Wilson's best movie ever! 2 me at least)

"Love you too." Sally replied, snuggling closer to him.

Lightning was enjoying this attention, but then remembered that he still hadn't asked her to be his wife. He felt his nerves getting out of hand again. Apparently, Sally noticed this.

"Anything wrong, Stickers?"

"Hmm? Oh! No, it's nothing." Lightning replied, biting his lip.

"Oh, well, I was going to kiss it and make it better." Sally joked.

"Ouch! My lips! Oh the pain!" Lightning joked back, leaning in for a kiss.

She giggled, and leaned in closer, too. Their lips connected in a deep, passionate kiss. Not one of those make-out kisses, no, a REAL kiss.

"Feel better?" Sally asked, breaking away.

"I don't know, still kind of stings." Lightning said sarcastically.

They leaned in for another kiss, just as Doc made his way into the room.

"Alright, break it up you two!" He said, chuckling to himself.

"Doc! Ever heard of knocking?" Lightning snapped.

"Whoa, I just came in to talk to you for a second." Doc said, pretending to look hurt.

"Can I talk to you in private?" He asked, glancing over at Sally.

"Um, sure Doc." Lightning replied, watching Sally leave.

"Well, what is it?"

Doc looked down at his tires, then replied "I wanted to make sure that you were ok with me, um…well…" Doc couldn't exactly get his words out.

"You like my mom, don't you?" Lightning asked.

"How did you…?" Doc started to say.

"Um, lucky guess." Lightning said. He didn't exactly want Doc to know he'd been spying on him.

"Well, are you…ok with it?" Doc asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yea, I'm fine. I trust you." Lightning said.

Doc was amazed at these last words.

_I trust you.

* * *

_

Sally wondered what they were talking about, but she didn't want to eavesdrop like before. So, she decided to go talk to Linda. She found her in her room, staring blankly out the window.

"Hey, Sally." She said as Sally parked beside her.

"Anything wrong?" She asked. Sally was being a little too quiet.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about Stickers." Sally said, sighing.

"You really like him, don't you?" She asked. "You guys are so cute."

"Yea… But here lately he's been acting kind of weird. I think he's just a little nervous about his race…"

If only Sally knew…

* * *

**Hey! Did you like this chapter? Ok, I know there's been a lot of drama, but now there's a little bit of romance. Oh, and just to warn you, something bads about to happen to Mater. :( Please Review!!!!!!!!! Pretty, pretty please? With a banana on top? Sorry, I don't really like cherries…**


	14. Chapter 14: Can't Take It

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 14**

_This was the worst day of his life. The saddest funeral ever, everyone crying over his poor brother. Lightning was still in shock. He couldn't believe that his brother was gone, forever gone. He couldn't take it. He had to get out. He went up to his mother and asked could he be excused, but she just sadly shook her head no._

You speak to me  
I know this will be temporary  
You ask to leave,  
but I can tell you that I've had enough

_She told him that he needed to go say a few last words. He got in line behind his mother. He heard his brother say something, then his mother. "Sorry you had to go…" Was that it? Why would his mother be saying sorry? It wasn't her fault… It was his turn. He didn't know what to say._

I can't take it  
This welcome is gone and  
I've waited long enough to make it  
and if you're so strong  
you might as well just do it alone  
And I'll watch you go

_He could feel himself shaking uncontrollably, the tears streaming down his face like a waterfall. He was starting to lose control. "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO?" he heard himself screaming. Everyone was staring at him, but he didn't care. It took Braden and his cousin to pull him away._

Come back home, won't you come back home?  
You step in line, you got a lot to prove  
It comes and goes  
Yeah, it comes and goes  
A step in time, yeah it's a lot to move  
I know this will be temporary  
I know this will be temporary  
I know this will be, but I've had enough

_Then he was spinning, spinning, spinning so much he was starting to feel dizzy. He was now sitting at an alter, Sally in front of him. _

I can't take it  
This welcome is gone and  
I've waited long enough to make it  
and if you're so strong  
you might as well just do it alone  
And I'll watch you go

_He heard the priest saying the vows, and then asked Sally did she take him to be his husband. "I do." She said. But it was the way that she said it. So cold, so cold it chilled him down to his undercarriage. She slowly lifted her veil, and to his horror was a cold, cracked face of a corpse. The cracked face of his once beloved girlfriend. _

Lightning bolted awake with a small scream. He was panting heavily, with tears streaming out of his eyes. He looked around and saw Sally, asleep in front of the TV. He went over to her and gently parked beside her. He didn't exactly want to be alone at the moment.

* * *

Sally woke up to someone lightly snoring. She looked over to her side and saw Lightning, gently leaning against her. _I thought he was over there when I went to sleep._ She thought to herself. She tried to move, but she was stuck. He was a little too heavy.

"Um, Stickers… Stickers, come on Stickers, wake up!" She whispered.

She watched Lightning open one sleepy eye, waiting for him to get off her.

"Huh? Wha…What's wrong?" Lightning asked sleepily.

"You're leaning on me, Stickers." Sally said, laughing.

"Huh?"

"Come on, get off!" She said, giving a little nudge with her tire.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean—" He started, but he was abruptly cut off by Mater's screams.

"WHEEEEEEEEHOOOOOOOO!!!! We're here!!!!!" Mater screamed.

"Where exactly is here?" Lightning asked.

"West Palm Beach of course!" Mater exclaimed happily.

"Really? We get to finally meet your parents? Awesome!" Lightning said, jumping a little in excitement.

"Yup. I specially want you to meet ma paw." Mater said.

"Ok, well let's go." Sally said, heading for the door.

* * *

Mater's house was a cute, little shack, just on the outskirts of town. Just as we all were pulling into the drive, a elderly tow truck with glasses came out to greet us.

"Hello, what can I help you wit---" She started to say, but then she spotted Mater.

"Tow? Is that you?" She asked, squinting at him.

"Yea, hey mama." He said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Tow! What brings you here?" She asked. "And who's all these people?"

"Mama, these are my friends. Ya know, from Radiator Springs." Mater said, pointing out everyone.

"Oh! Well, please come in! Come in!" She said happily.

They all drove inside the tiny garage, and looking around you could see many pictures of Mater and his family. His momma, Mater himself, a little girl, a baby, and a man who Lightning guessed was his daddy. Just then someone from down the hall called out something.

"Hey momma! Who's here? It sounds a lot like… TOW!" A little boy truck yelled as he drove as fast as he could in the room.

"Hey there, Toby." Mater said, jumping in front of the little truck, playing with him.

Then, there was another sound from down the hall.

"Hey! What's with all the noise? Why can't a girl just watch the replays from the races in piece? Wow momma, that Lightning McQueen is sooo…" The teenage girl was saying as she made her way into the room.

"So what?" Lightning asked.

The girl stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh… My… Gosh… You're, you're _Lightning McQueen!_" She exclaimed.

"Yea, I kind of already knew that." Lightning replied, laughing.

"Nice to see you too, Keyra." Mater said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, hey there Tow." She said. "What are you doing in our house?" She asked Lightning.

"Well, Mater wanted me to meet you guys." Lightning told her.

"Really? Tow, how do you know _Lightning McQueen_?" She asked excitedly.

"Well, he's my best friend." He said, beaming.

"No way." Keyra said, shaking her head.

"Well, hey buddy. I want to introduce you to my paw!" Mater exclaimed.

After Mater said this, Keyra and Mater's mom kind of looked sad, and Toby had tears welling in his eyes.

"Tow, didn't you get the letter?" His mother asked.

"Wut letter? I ain't never got no mail before."

"Tow, I'm sorry, but your daddy's not… here." She choked out.

"Well, where is he? Is he outside? In the shower?" Mater didn't seem to notice how upset his mother was getting.

"Tow, your daddy's dead."

Lightning just remembered something important.

"Wait a minute! You said you wrote him a letter?" He asked, feeling a little guilty.

"Yea…"

"Oops" he muttered.

"Oops what? What do you know about a letter?" Mater asked angrily looking at Lightning.

"Um, you had a letter delivered to the town that I was supposed to give to you." Lightning confessed.

Mater just glared at him. Then he stormed outside to the trailer. Lightning sighed, and silently followed the rusted backside of the truck.

* * *

**A/N Hey now that wasn't so bad, was it? I mean, I didn't kill him. Oh, and that song at the beggining of the chapter was "Can't Take It" by All American Rejects (I know, I know, I'm obssessed with them.)**


	15. Chapter 15: Yelling

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 15**

"Mater! Mater, wait up!" Lightning called after him. "Wait, just listen to me!"

"No! YOU listen!" Mater shouted suddenly, turning around, stopping just outside.

"How COULD you?!" He yelled. "You shoulda just delivered ma letter and I woulda found out earlier!"

"Look Mater, I--" Lightning started.

"Don't even talk to me right now!" Mater shouted.

"I didn't know it was that important!" Lightning yelled.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU LOST SOMEONE YOU LOVED?!?!?!" Mater screamed.

"CHRYSLER, MATER! I JUST LOST A BROTHER TO A BULLET, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO LOSE SOMEONE!" Lightning screamed back, tears pouring down his hood.

Mater just sat there, not knowing what to say.

"It hurts, ok? It hurts." Lightning gasped through his sobs.

"Look, buddy. I didn't mean—" Mater started to say.

"Just forget it!" Lightning interrupted, bolting to his room in the trailer.

Mater just sat there, staring open-mouthed at where his best friend just was. He realized that everyone had witnessed their argument. Everyone was sitting a few meters away, looking at Mater.

"Mater? Mater, are you ok?" Sally asked, coming up beside him.

"I didn't know he had a brother that wuz shot." Mater said quietly.

"He's only told me." Sally said.

"And Linda told me." Doc put in.

"Mater, I think you went a little too far." Sally said.

"Me? He wuz way outta line! I didn't know he had lost a brother."

"Sort of like he didn't know that the letter was that important." Sally said calmly.

Mater looked like the guiltiest car in the world. But you haven't seen the red racecar inside the trailer.

"Lightning?" Sally asked as she made her way into the trailer. She found him sitting there, glaring angrily at the wall.

"Are you ok?" She asked, parking beside him.

His features quickly softened to a guilty stare.

"I didn't mean to hurt him." He said

"I know, but what about you?"

"Me? What about me? We should be worrying about Mater." Lightning exclaimed.

"Are you sure? I mean, everyone's worried about you." Sally said with a worried look on her face.

"It's all my fault." Lightning said, sighing.

"Ya know, you gotta stop saying that." Doc said, startling them.

"Doc! When did you get in here? And what are you talking about?" Sally asked.

"Well, Lightning thinks it's his fault that his brother was shot." Doc said as Lightning shifted uncomfortably on his tires.

"Lightning, it's not your fault!" Sally exclaimed.

"I know! I know. Can I just be left alone?" Lightning asked desperately.

"Ok, if that's what you want." Doc said as he and Sally left the racecar sitting alone.

* * *

**A/N Hey I just have a question, is Mater's first name Tow? cuz that's how I used it. Oh well. Guess it doesn't really matter.**


	16. Chapter 16: An unexpected turn

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 16**

It had been about a day, and Mater and Lightning weren't exactly talking to each other. Lightning felt really guilty about all of the fighting that was going on.

He didn't want to fight, he didn't want to lose his best friend. Lightning needed to shake these thoughts away. He decided to take a cold shower to shake it off. He got in and turned on the water.

He couldn't really hear that well, but he could of swore that he heard someone driving around the bathroom._ But how could that be? Everyone's at lunch._ He thought to himself. He heard it again.

He got out and there was no one there. _Huh, must have been the wind._ Lightning thought. But what he didn't know, was that there was someone watching him from inside the closet.

Sally was a little worried. Lightning had just disappeared, right in the middle of lunch. She decided to go look for him.

Lightning was making his way down to the kitchen, when he heard another noise.

He turned around just in time to see a red sports car charging at him.

"Ahhhh!" he screamed as the car rammed into his side.

Sally heard the scream. She raced as fast as she could towards the sound. As she turned around the corner, she saw a red Corvette standing over a dented Lightning, pointing a pistol at him.

"Doc! DOC!" Sally screamed, startling everyone in the room.

"Gosh darn it! Sally, what's wrong?" Doc snapped.

"It's Lightning! There's a red car holding a gun over him!"

Doc and Linda glanced at each other with horror-stricken faces. Then raced out of the room.

"JERRY!!!!" Doc yelled, making his way into the hallway where Lightning and the red Corvette were.

Doc could see the paralyzed fear that had come across Lightning. He was just staring, open-mouthed, at the gun in possession of the car in front of him.

"Jerry! What the heck do you think you're doing?!" Linda yelled, angrily.

"I've come back for him!" The Corvette screamed.

There was something about the Corvette, besides the fact that he looked EXACTY like Lightning and Braden, he looked sort of… out of his mind.

"Jerry! Get out!" Linda screamed. "You already killed one of our kids, and you're not going to kill another one!!!"

**Oooo, cliff-hanger. Didn't expect that now did ya? Review Please!**


	17. Chapter 17: The Truth is Reveiled

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 17**

Braden was scared. Scared for himself, and scared for his brother's life. _Wait, what did mom just say?_ He thought, as he remembered something from a few days ago.

"Lightning! It's that Jerry guy! H-He's our…our…our _father_!" He yelled, realizing who the Corvette was. "He KILLED Chad!"

Lightning was paralyzed by fear. He couldn't move. He just stared, wide-eyed, at the gun that the Corvette was holding. Then, he realized that someone was yelling to him.

It was Braden. He couldn't really hear him that well. The silence was deafening.

Then, he comprehended what Braden had just said.

"_He's our father, he killed Chad."_

"I've come back to finish him off." The Corvette said, with an evil little laugh.

Apparently, the Corvette thought that Lightning was Chad.

Lightning suddenly wasn't frightened anymore. He was angry.

Before he could stop himself, he did then stupidest thing that he could think of.

He charged, head-on, towards the red Corvette. He rammed into him head-on.

He heard shrieks and screams all around him. He was slowly slipping out of consciousness. He wanted to open up his eyes to see what was going on, but his head hurt too badly.

"Stickers! Stickers, are you ok?" He heard Sally asking him.

He wanted to reply that he was fine, but he didn't want to lie to her.

He just uttered a small sigh of pain, and slowly closed his eyes to total darkness.

* * *

Lightning slowly opened his eyes to see everyone crowded around him. 

"G-Give me a l-little room guys." He stuttered, startling everyone.

"Good to see you're back with us, kid." Doc said.

"That was a pretty gutsy thing you just did, ya know that?" Sheriff said, half jokingly.

"W-What happened?" Lightning asked.

"You rammed into your father." Linda replied, rather flatly.

"Where is he?" Lightning asked, still a little frightened.

"Well, you really knocked him out. They sent him back to the mental hospital." Doc explained.

"Mental hospital?" Lightning and Braden both said at the same time.

"Yea," Their mother said, sighing. "I guess you want an explanation. Maybe I should start at the beginning, you see, your father…"

"Don't call that guy our father." Braden snapped.

"Well he is. No matter HOW crazy he is." Doc snapped back.

"Anyways, your father told me in high school that Doc here,"

"Yea, yea, yea. We know that part." Lightning said, rolling his eyes.

"Would you guys stop interrupting m—" Linda started.

"How, exactly, do you know about that?" Doc interrupted, earning a glare from Linda.

"Uhh.." Lightning started.

"We kind of, sort of, heard you guys talking about it." Braden blurted out.

Doc looked furious, but Linda started talking again.

"We'll talk about this later." She stated, flatly. "As I was saying, Jerry was Doc's best friend, and he told Doc that I didn't like him…"

"When you sot of did." Lightning interrupted, with a laugh.

"Didn't I tell you to stop interrupting me?" His mother asked, blushing.

"Sorry."

"Well, me and Jerry got married, and had you three." She continued.

"Well, since you two were so close in age, you two didn't know your father."

"But, Chad did?" Braden said, as his mother slowly nodded.

"Your father was really aggressive. He beat me and your brother all the time, that's when I was pregnant with you, Braden. And that's when you were sent away to you uncle's." She said, staring at Lightning through tearful eyes.

Braden and Lightning looked at each other, then back at their mother.

"But how did he die?" Lightning asked.

'Chad? He was about tired of being beat senseless everyday, so when he was about 16, he sort of paid one of his friends to shoot him."

"And you just let him commite suicide?" Lightning asked, on the verge of tears, again.

"Well, I sort of understood what he was going through…" Linda sighed.

"So, he did know that he was going to die that day…" Braden said slowly.

"How come we never noticed him getting beat? How come we weren't beat? I mean, I was 11, and Lightning was 13."

"I don't know. It happened when he was over at your father's house. I guess he didn't like Chad because of the choice he made with his life…" She said.

"But I thought you said that he was at a friends house…"

"Well, after your father and I got a divorce, your father demanded for Chad to come to his house every other week. I really didn't want your father messing up your lives too, so I told him that you died at your uncle's, Lightning, and I never actually told him that I was pregnant with you, Braden. So…" She explained, sighing. "Didn't you ever wonder how come he was always hurt?"

"I thought he was just clumsy." Lightning said, suppressing a small chuckle. This was a little too much to handle. Lightning's head was buzzing with questions.

"Your father went a little crazy after that." Linda said, a single tear rolling down her hood.

All Lightning a Braden could do was stare at their mother in disbelief. Lightning just slowly shook his head, trying to understand what his mother had just said.

* * *

**Was that unexpected or what? I know it sounds kind of corny, but it sort of works, doesn't it? If not, please tell me. All I want to do is get better, so please be honest, but no burns.**


	18. Chapter 18: Apologies

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 18**

It was 3 days before the race, and Lightning was busy getting fixed up in a nearby hospital. He was just about done, when a nurse came in telling him he had a visitor.

_A visitor? Who would be visiting me, when I told them I would get out today?_ Lightning thought to himself.

Mater slowly came into the hospital room, looking at the floor the whole time.

"Mater, what are you—" Lightning started.

"I'm sorry." Mater said before Lightning could get out another word.

They didn't say anything for awhile, but then Lightning looked up at his friend and saw that he was crying a little.

"Mater?" Lightning said quietly. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't know that the letter was that important."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that yous had a brother that was killed." Mater said, blinking away the rest of his tears.

"So… are we… friends, again?" Lightning asked, looking into his friend's big, hazel eyes.

"Yea, it's gone take a lot more than dat ta get rid of me." Mater replied with a smile.

"Do ya want me to stay here with ya, till they're done?"

"Uh, sure Mater. It might be an hour or two, though." Lightning said.

"Aww, I don't mind." Mater replied, smiling.

They went silent for a few moments, Mater watching the TV, and Lightning being asked questions by the doctors.

After the doctors and nurses had freed Lightning, he and Mater made their way out of the hospital, and into the hot sun.

"Hey Mater?" Lightning asked suddenly.

"Yea, buddy?"

"Let's not fight, ever again. I don't want to lose my best friend."

All Mater could do was smile like a total goofball. "You ain't gotta worry, bud. I ain't goin' nowhere." He said, still smiling.

Lightning smiled, too. He remembered the day he had arrived in Radiator Springs. Mater was the only one that had liked him from the start. _He had even volunteered to be my lawyer._ Lightning thought, with a small laugh.

He really hadn't had friends like he had now since he left home. Then, Lightning remembered the night that Mater had told him that he thought of him as his best friend. That really had meant a lot.

He looked over to his best friend, and saw that he was saying something. Lightning hadn't even heard a word of it.

"Huh? Did you say something, Mater?"

"Yea, I was just sayin' that my cousin owns a paint shop that you could go to, ya know, to get them there scratches fixed up." Mater said.

Lightning looked down to see that half his paint was scraped off his hood. He hadn't even noticed before.

"Yea, ok. Where is it?" Lightning asked.

"It's in town." Mater replied.

A few hours later, Mater and Lightning came out of the paint shop, Lightning looked as good as new. Lightning saw across the street was a board walk. He started to drive over to it.

"Where ya goin'?" Mater asked, confused.

"I want to see where you grew up." Lightning replied, gazing around at all the shops.

"Well, actually, I grew up in Nebraska." Mater said.

"Oh, so you moved here?"

"Yep, my aunt pasted away and left us her house here." Mater explained.

"Oooh." Lightning replied. "That explains a lot."

"What's that supposed ta mean?"

"Well, you don't look like you'd live in Florida all your life." Lightning said, watching all the people pass them.

"Oh." Mater replied "Yea, I guess I don't do I? I mean, there ain't too many tow trucks out here." He added with a laugh.

After that last statement, they didn't say anything for awhile. Lightning was just watching the waves slap against the shore.

"Wow, this beach is incredible. I should show it to Sally." Lightning said, watching the sun set over the waves.

"Speakin' of Miss Sally, when are you gonna ask her ta marry you?" Mater asked.

"I don't know, Mater." Lightning replied, sighing. "I guess when the time's right."

* * *

**Aww, see? They're friends again! Don't worry, I know this story is getting long, but I only have like two or three chapters left. Please give me some reviews!**


	19. Chapter 19: He Wins Again

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 19**

_Sally was incredible. They were at the beach, and Lightning was standing at the altar, beside Mater who was, of course, his best man. _

_Sally was driving slowly down the aisle. She was painted a beautiful white, with a sort of pink tint. She had sparkles all over her, and one of Red's flowers attached to one of her side-view mirrors. _

_They began to say the vows, and then the priest asked the most important question of the whole ceremony._

"_Do you, Glen Jacob McQueen, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" "I do." He had no trouble getting out his words. "And do you, Sally Cheyenne Carrera, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" "I do." She replied. _

_She turned to him, and said "Wake up." Wake up? What did she mean by Wake up? She said it again, but this time her voice sounded different. It sounded familiar, sort of like…_

"Doc, lemme sleep." Lightning said, annoyed that Doc had woken him from the best dream that he had ever had.

"Come on, you want to be a racer, or a sleeper?" Doc asked sternly.

With very much effort, Lightning reluctantly rolled out of his trailer, and off to the race track.

When he had gotten some breakfast, and went around the track a few times, Lightning decided to go talk to his friend until time to line-up for the race.

Lightning was nervous. No, not nervous BECAUSE of the race, nervous because of what he had planned after the race.

"ALL RACERS TO THE TRACK. I REPEAT, ALL RACERS TO THE TRACK"

Lightning started towards the track, getting a wink from Sally at the pit crew. He winked back, smiling the best that he could.

The race had started, and all Lightning could hear was the roar of the engines around him, and Darrell Cartrip's famous quote, "Boogity Boogity Boogity, boys! Let's go racin'!"

Lightning's mind was buzzing so much, he could barely concentrate on what he was doing. He was into the 236th lap, and so far he was in 2nd, right behind Chick. He went up beside Chick, and passed him easily.

Chick looked really angry. _I wonder why? Wasn't it obvious that I was going to pass him?_ Lightning thought with a smirk.

They were into the 103rd lap, Lightning still ahead. Chick was gaining on him.

Lap 43, Chick was picking up speed. Lightning could feel Chick coming up closer, and it felt that way for the next 41 laps.

It was the next-to-last lap, and it was Lightning and Chick, bumper to bumper, fender to fender.

Now they were heading into the last lap. Lightning saw the white flag being waved as he passed, and thought about how pretty Sally would be in a white paint job for when they got married. He had a dreamy, sort of far away look on his face. He barely noticed Chick passing him.

"Kid, what's wrong with you? Do you hurt anywhere?" Doc said over his two-way, snapping Lightning away from his thoughts.

"No, no, Doc. I'm fine."

"Well then, get your tail up there and pass him!" Doc said in a sort-of encouraging way.

Lightning did just that, he raced as fast as he could go, until he was fender to fender with Chick, again.

Chick glared at him angrily.

"You're not going to win this race, rook!" He yelled through gritted teeth.

"Just watch me, and will you please stop calling me rook? This is my 3rd season, that is, unless you've forgotten how to count." Lightning said with a slight smirk.

Chick's angry growl was louder that his engine. "You're gonna pay for that!" He yelled.

With that, he suddenly charged at Lightning.

But Lightning was to fast for him. Right as Chick was coming at him, he sped up, making Chick ram into the wall.

As Lightning crossed the finish line, taking first place, he heard cheers all around him. He looked over at Chick and suddenly felt sorry for him. After all, Lightning knew how it felt to lose something, or someone, in his case.

* * *

**Yay! He won! Please Review!!! Hey let me tell you somethin' funny that happened last weekend. Ok, me and my 4 year old cousin was playin' the Cars Video game, and he kept beggin' me to let him be Chick. See, here's how it went.**

**Cousin- Please, pretty please? Can I be Thunder?**

**Me- I don't think you can be in this video game.**

**Cousin- But why not?**

**Me- Because you have to play against him, remember? He's the bad guy in the movie. (Even though I think there's an engine of gold under that hood. Lol)**

**Cousin- But I like Thunder.**

**Me- Why do you like Chick so much?**

**Cousin- Cuz.**

**Me- Cuz why?**

**Cousin- Cuz he's green.**

**Lol, well I thought it was pretty funny at the time.**


	20. Chapter 20: The Doofus

**Cars 2**

**Chapter 20**

"Lightning! Lightning McQueen! Over here!" A reporter said, coming up to him.

"How does it feel to win your second Piston?" She asked.

"It feels great, but I have to—"

"Are you still living in Radiator Springs?" another reporter interrupted.

"Yes, but I have to go…" He said, making his way out of the crowd and to the stage.

Lightning slowly drove up on stage with a big smile plastered to his face. He took the cup, and just sat there for a moment.

"Lightning McQueen, would you like to say anything about winning the Piston Cup?" A reporter asked.

"Lightning say something!" said another reporter, and pretty soon there was reporters and cameras, all trying to get a hold of the racecar.

Lightning merely just smiled, thanked everyone for cheering him on, and silently made his way off-stage.

"Stickers, you were great!" Sally said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Yea, buddy! You was awesome!" Mater exclaimed, giving him a playful nudge.

Lightning went over, and parked beside Sally. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mater, making movements as if to say, _Go on. Ask her! _Lightning just gave him a look to tell him to stop.

"Sally, I have to ask you something." Lightning said.

"What?"

"Will you… go to the beach with me tonight?" Lightning asked, getting a look of disappointment from Mater.

"Um, sure. I'd love to go to the beach. I hear there's going to be fireworks." Sally replied.

_More than you know._ Lightning thought to himself.

* * *

It was sunset at the beach, and Lightning could only think of one thing more beautiful than the scenery, and that was Sally.

_Wow, her eyes are like the ocean. So green, and beautiful. And her paint, it has to be the prettiest shade of blue ever created. It's the exact same color as the sky._ He thought.

"You know, this beach reminds me of you." Lightning said all of a sudden.

"How does a beach remind you of me?" She asked, raising her brow. (Or windshield, whatever.)

"You're both so beautiful." He said, blushing a little. You couldn't see it, though.

"Oh." She said, her cheeks turning red.

This made Lightning laugh. _She's so cute when she blushes._ He thought.

"Don't worry, I blushed, too. You just couldn't see it." He whispered, making her smile.

"You have such a way with words." She said, nuzzling against him.

Just then, the fireworks started. They were amazing. The colors so beautiful. Red, yellow, orange, blue, pink, white, purple, green.

Sally noticed all the pretty designs that they made. A heart, stars, flowers, circles, bid spurts of colors. Then, Sally noticed that they started forming letters. Words. A sentence.

_Sally, will you marry me?_

Sally couldn't believe it. She looked over to Lightning, to see him smiling at her. She was not expecting this._ Wow, he just proposed to me._ She thought.

Lightning was starting to get a little scared. _Why hasn't she answered yet?_ He thought to himself.

"I-I'm sorry. I should have known it was too early. I'll just go—" Lightning started to say, looking down at his tires the whole time.

"Lightning…" Sally said, making him look up at her. "Yes."

"Yes?" Lightning asked, perking up.

"Yes, I will marry you." Sally replied.

"Yes!" Lightning repeated, racing around her.

"You're such a doofus." Sally said, laughing.

"Yes, but I'm your doofus." He said, gently nuzzling her fender.

* * *

**Yay! That was sweet, wasn't it? All I have left is the epilogue. (They get married.) But don't worry, I'm making a sequel. So, don't pout, k? Please Review!**


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Sally was the most beautiful thing Lightning had ever seen. His mom was pretty, too. He couldn't believe it. He was finally getting married, and so was his mom! A double-wedding. Doc looked really nervous, but then again, he probably looked the same. His mom and Sally were both driving down the aisle. He was shaking so badly, he could felt as if he were going to fall apart at any moment. _I wish you were here, Chad._ He thought sadly.

"Dang, buddy. Calm down!" Mater whispered, shaking him from his thoughts.

"Sorry, Mater. This is sort of new to me."

"Aww, it's ok. This is supposed to be the happiest day of your lives, right?" He asked.

"Right."

"Well then, be happy!" He said, nudging him.

Lightning glanced over at Doc. He was staring at Linda with a dreamy expression on his face. Lightning nudged him with his tire, and gave him a reassuring smile. Doc smiled back, and took a big breath.

Sally and Linda both got up to the altar, and parked beside their grooms. Then, the priest started the ceremony.

"Do you, Doc Thomas Hudson, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

He sighed, then replied, "I do."

"And do you, Amelia Sue McQueen, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." She replied. Then added, "And always will."

The priest turned to Lightning and Sally. Lightning gulped, and took one more look over at Doc. Doc smiled, and gave him a look as if to say, _Don't worry._

"Do you, Glen Jacob McQueen, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

He looked over at Sally, smiled, and said, "I do."

"And do you, Sally Cheyenne Carrera, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." She said, looking at Lightning the whole time.

"You may kiss the brides."

Doc leaned in, and deeply kissed his new wife, and so did Lightning. Sally kissed him back, more passionately than she had ever before, and Lightning McQueen knew, this was no dream.

* * *

**Yay! The end! But no worries, the sequal IS coming. Hakkuna Matada. Sorry, I ain't to sure how to spell that. Lol. Please Review My Story!!!!! **


End file.
